Today, the wheel hangs on a wall in my home, a gaudy artifact symbolizing weird work and small wagers, and the legacy of a man whose real trade was time.
Most of my grandfather's biographical details are lost, but at least one is clear: despite the Depression, he stayed in the game.
Fortunate are the people who—as he did—show up, learn new skills, take risks, think weird.
They don't surrender to the feeling they're hostages or has-beens. They choose instead to be bootstrappers.
Right now, two generations, Millennials and Boomers, are joined at the hip by the prospect of near-poverty.
They're placing bets on the next spin of the wheel.
The bootstrappers are mastering new, adaptive skills.
The rest are at home, consuming games and gameshows.
Which are you doing?
